Semiconductor devices with backside power rail and methods of fabrication thereof

ABSTRACT

Corner portions of a semiconductor fin are kept on the device while removing a semiconductor fin prior to forming a backside contact. The corner portions of the semiconductor fin protect source/drain regions from etchant during backside processing. The corner portions allow the source/drain features to be formed with a convex profile on the backside. The convex profile increases volume of the source/drain features, thus, improving device performance. The convex profile also increases processing window of backside contact recess formation.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor industry has experienced continuous rapid growth dueto constant improvements in the integration density of variouselectronic components. For the most part, this improvement inintegration density has come from repeated reductions in minimum featuresize, allowing more components to be integrated into a given chip area.As minimum feature size reduces, metal layer routing in the intermetalconnection layers also becomes more complex. Therefore, there is a needto solve the above problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing of a semiconductordevice according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2 to 10, FIGS. 11A-D to FIGS. 27A-D, FIGS. 28A-E to FIGS. 29A-E,FIGS. 30A-F to FIGS. 31A-F, FIGS. 32A-D to FIGS. 33A-D, and FIGS. 34A-Fschematically illustrate various stages of manufacturing a semiconductordevice according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “over,” “top,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein forease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship toanother element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 64 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpretedaccordingly.

The foregoing broadly outlines some aspects of embodiments described inthis disclosure. While some embodiments described herein are describedin the context of nanosheet channel FETs, implementations of someaspects of the present disclosure may be used in other processes and/orin other devices, such as planar FETs, Fin-FETs, Horizontal Gate AllAround (HGAA) FETs, Vertical Gate All Around (VGAA) FETs, and othersuitable devices. A person having ordinary skill in the art will readilyunderstand other modifications that may be made are contemplated withinthe scope of this disclosure. In addition, although method embodimentsmay be described in a particular order, various other method embodimentsmay be performed in any logical order and may include fewer or moresteps than what is described herein. In the present disclosure, asource/drain refers to a source and/or a drain. A source and a drain areinterchangeably used.

The gate all around (GAA) transistor structures may be patterned by anysuitable method. For example, the structures may be patterned using oneor more photolithography processes, including double-patterning ormulti-patterning processes. Generally, double-patterning ormulti-patterning processes combine photolithography and self-alignedprocesses, allowing patterns to be created that have, for example,pitches smaller than what is otherwise obtainable using a single, directphotolithography process. For example, in one embodiment, a sacrificiallayer is formed over a substrate and patterned using a photolithographyprocess. Spacers are formed alongside the patterned sacrificial layerusing a self-aligned process. The sacrificial layer is then removed, andthe remaining spacers may then be used to pattern the GAA structure.

An integrated circuit (IC) typically includes a plurality ofsemiconductor devices, such as field-effect transistors and metalinterconnection layers formed on a semiconductor substrate. Theinterconnection layers, designed to connect the semiconductor devices topower supplies, input/output signals, and to each other, may includesignal lines and power rails, such as a positive voltage rail (VDD) anda ground rail (GND). As semiconductor device size shrinks, space formetal power rails and signal lines decreases.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide semiconductor deviceshaving metal contacts for connecting to power rails formed on a backsideof a substrate, and methods for fabricating such semiconductor devices.Metal contacts on the backside and the backside power rail are formed bybackside processes which are performed after completing BEOL processesand flipping the substrate over. When forming metal contacts on thebackside of a FinFET, Nanosheet FET, or other multi-channel FET device,the semiconductor material on the backside of the device of the FETdevice is removed to expose the source and drain region so that themetal contact can be formed and dielectric materials can be filledaround the metal contract. Because material in the source/drainfeatures, particularly source/drain features for n-type devices, has alow etch selectivity to the semiconductor material to be removed fromthe backside, there is a high risk to etch the source/drain featuresduring backside semiconductor removal. As a result, a relative thickbuffer layer is formed under the source/drain features, and a highprecision is needed during formation recesses for the backside contact.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a corner portion ofthe semiconductor material is kept during the backside semiconductorremoval process. The corner portion protects the source/drain featuresfrom the etchant. In some embodiments, the corner portion may be createdusing a low etching rate etch process. The corner portion may have asubstantially triangular profile with a diagonal surface formed from acrystal facet generated during etch. The corner portion allows thesource/drain features to be formed with a convex surface on thebackside. The convex surface increases volume of the source/drainfeatures, thus, improving device performance and increasing processingwindow of backside contact recess formation.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method 100 for manufacturing of asemiconductor substrate according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIGS. 2 to 10, FIGS. 11A-D to FIGS. 27A-D, FIGS. 28A-E toFIGS. 29A-E, FIGS. 30A-F to FIGS. 31A-F, FIGS. 32A-D to FIGS. 33A-D, andFIGS. 34A-F schematically illustrate various stages of manufacturing asemiconductor device according to embodiments of the present disclosure.Additional operations can be provided before, during, and afteroperations/processes in the method 100, and some of the operationsdescribed below can be replaced or eliminated, for additionalembodiments of the method. The order of the operations/processes may beinterchangeable.

The method 100 begins at operation 102 where a plurality ofsemiconductor fins 20 are formed over a substrate 10, as shown in FIGS.2 and 3, which are schematic perspective views of the substrate 10during operation 102.

In FIG. 2, the substrate 10 is provided to form a semiconductor devicethereon. The substrate 10 may include a single crystalline semiconductormaterial such as, but not limited to Si, Ge, SiGe, GaAs, InSb, GaP,GaSb, InAlAs, InGaAs, GaSbP, GaAsSb, and InP. The substrate 10 mayinclude various doping configurations depending on circuit design. Forexample, different doping profiles, e.g., n-wells, p-wells, may beformed in the substrate 10 in regions designed for different devicetypes, such as n-type field effect transistors (nFET), and p-type fieldeffect transistors (pFET). In some embodiments, the substrate 10 may bea silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate including an insulator structure(not shown) for enhancement.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 10 includes a p-dopedregion or p-well 12 and an n-doped region or n-well 11. In someembodiments, when multi-channel FETs with backside power rails are to beformed from the substrate 10, the p-well 12 and n-well 11 may beeventually removed, the same semiconductor materials, such as undopedsemiconductor material, may be used in place of the n-well 12 and n-well11. One or more n-type devices, such as nFETs, are to be formed overand/or within p-well 12. One or more p-type devices, such as pFETs, areto be formed over and/or within n-well 11. FIG. 2 shows that the n-well11 and the p-well 12 are formed adjacent to one another, which is notlimiting. In other embodiments, the p-well 12 and the n-well 11 may beseparated by one or more insulation bodies, e.g., shallow trenchinsulation (“STI”). The p-well 12 and n-well 11 in FIG. 2 are formedusing a dual-tub process, in which both p-well 12 and n-well 11 areformed in the substrate 10. Other processes, like a p-well process in ann-type substrate or an n-well process in a p-type substrate are alsopossible and included in the disclosure. That is the p-well 12 is alocal region doped with p-type dopants on a n-type doped substrate andthe n-well 11 is the n-type doped substrate, or vice versa. It is alsopossible that both p-well 12 and n-well 11 are intrinsic orintrinsically doped, e.g., unintentionally doped. The p-well 12 includesone or more p-type dopants, such as boron (B). The n-well 11 includesone more n-type dopants, such as phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), etc.

A semiconductor stack 18 is formed over the p-well 12. The semiconductorstack 18 includes alternating semiconductor layers made of differentmaterials to facilitate formation of nanosheet channels in a multi-gaten-type device, such as nanosheet channel nFETs. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor stack 18 includes first semiconductor layers 14 interposedby second semiconductor layers 16. The first semiconductor layers 14 andsecond semiconductor layers 16 have different compositions. In someembodiments, the two semiconductor layers 14 and 16 provide fordifferent oxidation rates and/or different etch selectivity. In laterfabrication stages, portions of the second semiconductor layers 16 formnanosheet channels in a multi-gate device. Three first semiconductorlayers 14 and three second semiconductor layers 16 are alternatelyarranged as illustrated in FIG. 2 as an example. More or lesssemiconductor layers 14 and 16 may be included in the semiconductorstack 18 depending on the desired number of channels in thesemiconductor device to be formed. In some embodiments, the number ofsemiconductor layers 14 and 16 is between 1 and 10.

In some embodiments, the first semiconductor layer 14 may includesilicon germanium (SiGe). The first semiconductor layer 14 may be a SiGelayer including more than 25% Ge in molar ratio. For example, the firstsemiconductor layer 14 may be a SiGe layer including Ge in a molarration in a range between 25% and 50%.

The second semiconductor layer 16 may include silicon (Si). In someembodiments, the second semiconductor layer 16 may include n-typedopants, such as phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), etc. In some embodiments,the second semiconductor layer 16 has a dopant concentration in a rangefrom about 5E16 atoms/cm³ to about 5E17 atoms/cm³. In other embodiments,the second semiconductor layer 16 is a undoped or substantiallydopant-free (i.e., having an extrinsic dopant concentration from about 0atoms/cm³ to about 1E17 atoms/cm³) silicon layer.

A semiconductor stack 17 is formed over the n-well 11. The semiconductorstack 17 includes alternating semiconductor layers made of differentmaterials to facilitate formation of nanosheet channels in a multi-gatep-type device, such as nanosheet channel pFETs. In some embodiments, thesemiconductor stack 17 includes third semiconductor layers 13 interposedby fourth semiconductor layers 15. The third semiconductor layers 13 andfourth semiconductor layers 15 have different compositions. In someembodiments, the two semiconductor layers 13 and 15 provide fordifferent oxidation rates and/or different etch selectivity. In laterfabrication stages, portions of the fourth semiconductor layers 15 formnanosheet channels in a multi-gate device. Three third semiconductorlayers 13 and three fourth semiconductor layers 15 are alternatelyarranged as illustrated in FIG. 2 as an example. More or lesssemiconductor layers 13 and 15 may be included in the semiconductorstack 17 depending on the desired number of channels in thesemiconductor device to be formed. In some embodiments, the number ofsemiconductor layers 13 and 15 is between 1 and 10.

In some embodiments, the third semiconductor layer 13 may includesilicon germanium (SiGe). The third semiconductor layer 13 may be a SiGelayer including more than 25% Ge in molar ratio. For example, the thirdsemiconductor layer 13 may be a SiGe layer including Ge in a molarration in a range between 25% and 50%. In some embodiments, the thirdsemiconductor layer 13 and the first semiconductor layer 14 havesubstantially the same composition.

The fourth semiconductor layer 15 may include silicon, Ge, a compoundsemiconductor such as SiC, GeAs, GaP, InP, InAs, and/or InSb, an alloysemiconductor such as SiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, InGaAs, GaInP, and/orGaInAsP, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the fourthsemiconductor layer 15 may be a Ge layer. The fourth semiconductor layer15 may include p-type dopants, boron etc.

The semiconductor layers 13, 15, 14, 16 may be formed by a molecularbeam epitaxy (MBE) process, a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) process, and/or other suitable epitaxial growth processes.

In some embodiments, each semiconductor layer 15, 16 has a thickness ina range between about 5 nm and about 30 nm. In other embodiments, eachsemiconductor layer 15, 16 has a thickness in a range between about 10nm and about 20 nm. In some embodiments, each semiconductor layer 15, 16has a thickness in a range between about 6 nm and about 12 nm. In someembodiments, the semiconductor layers 15 in the semiconductor stack 17and the semiconductor layers 16 in the semiconductor stack 18 areuniform in thickness.

The semiconductor layers 13, 14 may eventually be removed and serve todefine a vertical distance between adjacent channel regions for asubsequently formed multi-gate device. In some embodiments, thethickness of the semiconductor layer 13, 14 is equal to or greater thanthe thickness of the semiconductor layer 15, 16. In some embodiments,each semiconductor layer 13, 14 has a thickness in a range between about5 nm and about 50 nm. In other embodiments, each semiconductor layer 13,14 has a thickness in a range between about 10 nm and about 30 nm.

The semiconductor stacks 17, 18 may be formed separately. For example,the semiconductor stack 18 is first formed over the entire substrate,i.e. over both the n-well 11 and the p-well 12 then recesses are formedin the semiconductor stacks 18 in areas over the n-well 11 to expose then-well 11, and the semiconductor stack 17 is then formed in the recessesover the n-well 11 while the semiconductor stack 18 is covered by a masklayer.

In FIG. 3, the semiconductor fins 19, 20 are formed from thesemiconductor stacks 17, 18, and a portion of the n-well 11, the p-well12 underneath respectively. The semiconductor fin 19 may be formed bypatterning a pad layer 22 and a hard mask 24 formed on the semiconductorstacks 17, 18 and one or more etching processes. Each semiconductor fin19, 20 has an active portion 19 a, 20 a formed from the semiconductorlayers 13/15, 14/16, and a well portion 19 w, 20 w formed in the n-well11 and the p-well 12, respectively. In FIG. 3, the semiconductor fins19, 20 are formed along the X direction. A width W1 of the semiconductorfins 19, 20 along the Y direction is in a range between about 3 nm andabout 44 nm. In some embodiments, the width W1 of the semiconductor fins19, 20 along the Y direction is in a range between about 20 nm and about30 nm.

In operation 104, an isolation layer 26 is formed in the trenchesbetween the semiconductor fins 19, 20, as shown in FIG. 4. The isolationlayer 26 is formed over the substrate 10 to cover at least a part of thewell portions 19 w, 20 w of the semiconductor fins 19, 20. The isolationlayer 26 may be formed by a high density plasma chemical vapordeposition (HDP-CVD), a flowable CVD (FCVD), or other suitabledeposition process. In some embodiments, the isolation layer 26 mayinclude silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride,fluorine-doped silicate glass (FSG), a low-k dielectric, combinationsthereof. In some embodiments, the isolation layer 26 is formed to coverthe semiconductor fins 19, 20 by a suitable deposition process to fillthe trenches between the semiconductor fins 19, 20, and then recessetched using a suitable anisotropic etching process to expose the activeportions 19 a, 20 a of the semiconductor fins 19, 20. In someembodiments, the isolation layer 26 is etched to expose a portion of thewell portions 19 w, 20 w in the semiconductor fins 19, 20.

In operation 106, a cladding layer 30 is formed by an epitaxial processover exposed portion of the semiconductor fins 19, 20 as shown in FIG.4. In some embodiments, a semiconductor liner (not shown) may be firstformed over the semiconductor fins 19, 20, and the cladding layer 30 isthen formed over the semiconductor liner by an epitaxial process. Insome embodiments, the cladding layer 30 includes a semiconductormaterial, for example SiGe. In some embodiments, the cladding layer 30may have a composition similar to the composition of the firstsemiconductor layer 14 and the third semiconductor layer 13, thus may beselectively removed from the second semiconductor layer 16 and thefourth semiconductor layer 15. In an alternative embodiment, thesemiconductor liner may be omitted and the cladding layer 30 beepitaxially grown from the exposed surfaces of the semiconductor layers13, 14, 15, and 16.

In operation 108, hybrid fins 36 are formed in the trenches between theneighboring semiconductor fins 19, 20 after formation of the claddinglayer 30, and high-k dielectric features 38 are formed over the hybridfins 36, as shown in FIGS. 6-8. The hybrid fins 36, also referred to asdummy fins or dielectric fins, include a high-k dielectric materiallayer, a low-k dielectric material layer, or a bi-layer dielectricmaterial including high-k upper part and a low-k lower part. In someembodiments, the hybrid fins 36 include a high-k metal oxide, such asHfO₂, ZrO₂, HfAlOx, HfSiOx, Al₂O₃, and the like, a low-k material suchas SiONC, SiCN, SiOC, or other dielectric material. In the example ofFIG. 6, the hybrid fin 36 is a bi-layer structure including a dielectricliner layer 32 and a dielectric filling layer 34. In some embodiments,the dielectric liner layer 32 may include a low-k material, such asSiONC, SiCN, SiOC, or other dielectric material, that provide etchresistance during replacement gate processes. The dielectric fillinglayer 34 may be a low-k dielectric material, such as silicon oxide.

The hybrid fins 36 are recess etched as shown in FIG. 6. The recess maybe performed by any suitable process, such as dry etch, wet etch, or acombination thereof. The etch process may be a selective etch processthat does not remove the semiconductor material of the cladding layer30. The recess process may be controlled so that the dielectric linerlayer 32 and the dielectric filling layer 34 are substantially at thesame level as a top surface of the topmost second semiconductor layer 16and the fourth semiconductor layer 15. As a result of the recess etch,recesses are formed on the hybrid fins 36.

The high-k dielectric features 38 are formed in the recesses over thehybrid fins 36, as shown in FIG. 7. In some embodiments, the high-kdielectric features 38 are formed by a blanket deposition followed by aplanarization process. The high-k dielectric features 38 may include amaterial having a k value greater than 7, such as HfO₂, ZrO₂, HfAlOx,HfSiOx, or Al₂O₃. Any suitable deposition process, such as a CVD, PECVD,FCVD, or ALD process, may be used to deposit the high-k dielectricmaterial. After formation of the high-k dielectric features 38, thecladding layer 30 may be recessed to level with the hybrid fins 36, asshown in FIG. 8. The pad layer 22 and the hard mask 24 are subsequentlyremoved exposing the topmost second semiconductor layer 16 and thefourth semiconductor layer 15. The high-k dielectric features 38protrude over the semiconductor fins 19, 20 and the hybrid fins 36 andmay function to separate gate structures formed over the semiconductorfins 19, 20.

In operation 110, sacrificial gate structures 48 are formed as shown inFIG. 9. The sacrificial gate structures 48 are formed over thesemiconductor fins 19, 20 and the hybrid fins 36. The sacrificial gatestructure 48 is formed over a portion of the semiconductor fins 19, 20which is to be a channel region. The sacrificial gate structure 48 mayinclude a sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40, a sacrificial gateelectrode layer 42, a pad layer 44, and a mask layer 46.

The sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40 may be formed conformally overthe semiconductor fins 19, 20 and the high-k dielectric features 38. Insome embodiments, the sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40 may bedeposited by a CVD process, a sub-atmospheric CVD (SACVD) process, aFCVD process, an ALD process, a PVD process, or other suitable process.The sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40 may include one or more layersof dielectric material, such as SiO₂, SiN, a high-k dielectric material,and/or other suitable dielectric material. In some embodiments, thesacrificial gate dielectric layer 40 includes a material different thanthat of the high-k dielectric features 38.

The sacrificial gate electrode layer 42 may be blanket deposited overthe sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40. The sacrificial gate electrodelayer 42 includes silicon such as polycrystalline silicon or amorphoussilicon. The thickness of the sacrificial gate electrode layer is in arange between about 70 nm and about 200 nm. In some embodiments, thesacrificial gate electrode layer 42 is subjected to a planarizationoperation. The sacrificial gate electrode layer 42 may be depositedusing CVD, including LPCVD and PECVD, PVD, ALD, or other suitableprocess.

Subsequently, the pad layer 44 and the mask layer 46 are formed over thesacrificial gate electrode layer 42. The pad layer 44 may includesilicon nitride. The mask layer 46 may include silicon oxide. Next, apatterning operation is performed on the mask layer 46, the pad layer44, the sacrificial gate electrode layer 42 and the sacrificial gatedielectric layer 40 to form the sacrificial gate structure 48.

In operation 112, sidewall spacers 50 are formed on sidewalls of eachsacrificial gate structure 48, as shown in FIG. 10. After thesacrificial gate structure 48 is formed, the sidewall spacers 50 areformed by a blanket deposition of an insulating material followed byanisotropic etch to remove insulating material from horizontal surfaces.The sidewall spacers 50 may have a thickness in a range between about 4nm and about 7 nm. In some embodiments, the insulating material of thesidewall spacers 50 is a silicon nitride-based material, such as SiN,SiON, SiOCN or SiCN and combinations thereof.

Lines A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D, and E-E in FIG. 10 indicate cut lines ofvarious views in FIGS. 11A-D to FIGS. 34A-D described below, and FIGS.28E-31E, and 34E. Particularly, FIGS. 11A-34A are schematiccross-sectional views along lines A-A in FIG. 10, FIGS. 11B-34B areschematic cross-sectional views along lines B-B in FIG. 10, FIGS.11C-34C are schematic cross-sectional views along lines C-C in FIG. 10,FIGS. 11D-34D are schematic cross-sectional views along lines D-D inFIG. 10, and FIGS. 28E-31E, and 34E are schematic cross-sectional viewsalong lines E-E in FIG. 10.

In operation 114, source/drain recesses 56 d, 56 s (collectively 56) areformed over the p-well 12, on which n-type devices are to be formed, asshown in FIG. 11A-11D. A sacrificial liner 52 a and a photoresist layer54 a are formed and patterned to expose regions over the p-well 12 forprocessing. The sacrificial liner 52 a may be a dielectric layer used toprotect regions not being processed. In some embodiments, thesacrificial liner 52 a includes silicon nitride. The semiconductor fin20 on opposite sides of the sacrificial gate structure 48 and thecladding layer 30 on the semiconductor fin 20 are etched formingsource/drain recesses 56 d, 56 s between the neighboring hybrid fins 36on either side of the sacrificial gate structure 48 as shown in FIGS.11A and 11C. In some embodiments, the source/drain recess 56 d indicatesthe cavity where a drain feature is to be formed and the source/drainrecess 56 s indicates the cavity where a source feature is to be formed.It should be noted that source feature and drain feature can be usedinterchangeably.

The cladding layer 30, the first semiconductor layers 14 and the secondsemiconductor layers 16 in the semiconductor fin 20 are etched down onboth sides of the sacrificial gate structure 48 using etchingoperations. In some embodiments, suitable dry etching and/or wet etchingmay be used to remove the first semiconductor layers 14, the secondsemiconductor layer 16, and the p-well 12, together or separately.

In some embodiments, all layers in the active portion 20 a of thesemiconductor fins 20 and part of the well portion 20 w of thesemiconductor fin 20 are removed to form the source/drain recesses 56 s,56 d. The well portion 20 w of the semiconductor fin 20 is partiallyetched so that the source/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d extend into theisolation layer 26, as shown in FIG. 11C. The source/drain recesses 56s, 56 d are formed on opposite ends of the remaining well portion 20 wand active portion 20 a of the semiconductor fin 20 as shown in FIG.11A. Source/drain features are to be formed in the source/drain recesses56 s, 56 d, forming a n-type device with the semiconductor material inthe remaining well portion 20 w and active portion 20 a of thesemiconductor fin 20 as channel regions.

In some embodiments, the source/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d extend intothe well portion 20 w of the semiconductor fin 20. In some embodiments,a bottom surface 56 b of the source/drain recess 56 s, 56 d has aconcave profile, as shown in FIG. 11A. The bottom surface 56 b of thesource/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d is at a depth H1 in the well portion 20w of the semiconductor fin 20. The depth H1 allows the buffer layer tobe formed in the source/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d and also allows abottom surface of the source/drain feature to be formed to have a convexprofile as discussed later. In some embodiments, the depth H1 is in arange between about 20 nm and about 30 nm. If the depth H1 is below 20nm, the buffer layer to be formed may not be thick enough to function asan etch stop layer. If the depth H1 is greater than 30 nm, the dimensionof the device may be increased without obvious additional advantages.

In operation 116, inner spacers 58 n are formed as shown in FIGS.12A-12D. Prior to forming the inner spacers 58 n, the photoresist layer54 a may be removed exposing the patterned sacrificial liner 52 a toprotect regions over the p-well 12.

Exposed ends of the first semiconductor layers 14 and the claddinglayers 30 are first etched to form spacer cavities for the inner spacers58 n. The first semiconductor layers 14 and cladding layer 30 exposed tothe source/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d are first etched horizontally alongthe X direction to form cavities. In some embodiments, the firstsemiconductor layers 14 can be selectively etched by using a wet etchantsuch as, but not limited to, ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH),tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), ethylenediamine pyrocatechol(EDP), or potassium hydroxide (KOH) solutions. In some embodiments, anetching thickness of the first semiconductor layer 14 and the claddinglayer 30 is in a range between about 2 nm and about 10 nm along the Xdirection.

After forming the spacer cavities by etching the first semiconductorlayers 14 and the cladding layer 30, the inner spacers 58 n are formedin the spacer cavities by conformally deposit and then partially removean insulating layer. The insulating layer can be formed by ALD or anyother suitable method. The subsequent etch process removes most of theinsulating layer except inside the cavities, resulting in the innerspacers 58 n. In some embodiments, the second semiconductor layers 16may extend from the inner spacers 58 n. In some embodiments, the innerspacers 58 n may include one of silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon oxide(SiO₂), SiONC, or a combination thereof. The inner spacers 58 n have athickness along the X direction in a range from about 4 nm to about 7nm.

After the formation of the inner spacers 58 n, the patterned sacrificialliner 52 a is removed.

In operation 118, backside contact alignment feature 60 n is formed byremoving a portion of the well portion 20 w in the semiconductor fin 20and refilling the well portion 20 w with a semiconductor material, asshown in FIGS. 13A-13D and FIGS. 14A-14D. The backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n is selectively formed under the source/drain recess 56 swhere a source/drain feature formed therein is to be connected to abackside power rail.

Prior to forming the backside contact alignment feature 60 n, apatterned photoresist layer 54 b and patterned sacrificial liner 52 bare formed to expose the source/drain recess 56 s. The photoresist layer54 b may be similar to the photoresist layer 54 a and the sacrificialliner 52 b may be similar to the sacrificial liner 52 a.

After formation of the patterned photoresist layer 54 b and patternedsacrificial liner 52 b, suitable dry etching and/or wet etching isperformed to remove at least part of exposed well portion 20 w of thesemiconductor fin 20 to deepen the source/drain recess 56 s, as shown inFIGS. 13A and 13C. In some embodiments, a bottom surface 56 b′ of thesource/drain recess 56 s has a concave profile, as shown in FIG. 13A. Insome embodiments, the profile of the bottom surface 56 b′ of thesource/drain recess 56 s is substantially similar to that of the bottomsurface 56 b of the source/drain recess 56 d.

After recessing the well portion 20 w, the patterned photoresist layer54 b is removed to expose the patterned sacrificial liner 52 b. Thepatterned sacrificial liner 52 b functions as a hard mask duringformation of the backside contact alignment feature 60 n.

The backside contact alignment feature 60 n may be formed by anysuitable method, such as by CVD, CVD epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy(MBE), or any suitable deposition technique. In some embodiments, thebackside contact alignment feature 60 n is formed by a bottom updeposition process. As shown in FIG. 14A, the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n grows in a bottom up fashion along semiconductor materialson sidewalls 20 sw of the well portion 20 w. A front surface 60 f of thebackside contact alignment feature 60 n substantially maintains theprofile of the bottom surface 56 b′ of the source/drain recess 56 s. Insome embodiments, each backside contact alignment feature 60 n has aheight “H2”. In some embodiments, the height H2 is in a range betweenabout 10 nm and about 30 nm. In some embodiments, the height H2 of thebackside contact alignment feature 60 n may be controlled by controllingdeposition time.

During backside process, the material in the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n allows portions of the semiconductor fin 20 to beselectively removed. Additionally, the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n can be selectively removed without etching the dielectricmaterials in the isolation layer 26. Because the backside contactalignment feature 60 n will be removed to form backside contact holes inthe substrate 10 at a later stage, the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n is formed from a material to have etch selectivity relativeto the material of the substrate 10, the material in the well portion 20w of the semiconductor fin 20 and the insulating material in theisolation layer 26.

The backside contact alignment feature 60 n may be an undopedsemiconductor material. In some embodiments, the backside contactalignment feature 60 n may include SiGe, such as a single crystal SiGematerial. In some embodiments, the backside contact alignment feature 60n is formed from SiGe having a germanium composition percentage betweenabout 50% and 95%. Alternatively, the backside contact alignment feature60 n may include other materials such as Si, Ge, a compoundsemiconductor such as SiC, GeAs, GaP, InP, InAs, and/or InSb, an alloysemiconductor such as GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, InGaAs, GaInP, and/orGaInAsP, or combinations thereof.

After the formation of the backside contact alignment feature 60 n, thepatterned sacrificial liner 52 b is removed.

In operation 120, an epitaxial buffer layer 62 n is formed in thesource/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d as shown in FIGS. 15A-15D. Prior toforming the backside contact alignment feature 60 n, a patternedsacrificial liner 52 c is formed to expose the source/drain recesses 56d, 56 s. The sacrificial liner 52 c may be similar to the sacrificialliner 52 a.

The epitaxial buffer layer 62 n may be formed by any suitable method,such as by CVD, CVD epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), or anysuitable deposition technique. In some embodiments, the epitaxial bufferlayer 62 n is formed by a bottom up epitaxial deposition process. Forexample, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n grows in a bottom up fashionalong semiconductor materials on the sidewalls 20 sw of the well portion20 w until a front surface 62 f reaches the bottom most of the innerspacer 58 n, and the front surface 62 f has a profile substantiallysimilar to the front surface 60 f of the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n or the bottom surface 56 b′ of the source/drain recess 56s. When the front surface 62 f reaches the inner spacer 58 n, the bottomup epitaxial deposition process changes as the inner spacer 58 n is madeof dielectric material. Further deposition mainly results from epitaxialgrowth of the semiconductor material on the front surface 62 f and theprofile of the front surface 62 f may gradually change from concave toconvex as deposition continues.

The thickness of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n and/or profile of thefront surface 62 f of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n can be controlledby controlling process time. In some embodiments, the front surface 62 fof the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n is a concave surface. As shown inFIG. 15A, the front surface 62 f has a concave profile in the x-z plane.In the embodiment of FIG. 15A, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n is formedin bottom up in the source/drain recess 56 s or 56 d between two gatestacks 48. Because the front surface 62 f is concave, edge regions ofthe epitaxial buffer layer 62 n is at a level near the top of the wellportion 20 w along the z-direction while a center portion of theepitaxial buffer layer 62 n drops below the top of the well portion 20w.

The epitaxial buffer layer 62 n may have a thickness T1 near the centerportion. In some embodiments, the thickness T1 is in a range betweenabout 15 nm and about 25 nm. If the thickness T1 is below 15 nm, theepitaxial buffer layer 62 n may not be thick enough to function as anetch stop layer. If the thickness T1 is greater than 25 nm, thedimension of the device may be increased without obvious additionaladvantages.

During removal of the material in the well portion 20 w of thesemiconductor fin 20 at backside processing, the material in theepitaxial buffer layer 62 n services as an etch stop to protect thesource/drain feature for n-type device to be formed on the butter layer62 n. In some embodiments, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n may includeSiGe, such as a single crystal SiGe material. In some embodiments, theepitaxial buffer layer 62 n is formed from SiGe having a germaniumcomposition percentage between about 25% and 95%. Alternatively, thebackside contact alignment feature 60 n may include other materials suchas Si, Ge, a compound semiconductor such as SiC, GeAs, GaP, InP, InAs,and/or InSb, an alloy semiconductor such as GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs,InGaAs, GaInP, and/or GaInAsP, or combinations thereof.

In operation 122, a transitional epitaxial layer 64 n and an epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n are formed. After formation of the epitaxialbuffer layer 62 n, the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n is formed overthe epitaxial buffer layer 62 n. The transitional epitaxial layer 64 nmay be formed by any suitable method, such as by CVD, CVD epitaxy,molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), or any suitable deposition technique.

The transitional epitaxial layer 64 n can serve to gradually change thelattice constant from that of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n to that ofthe source/drain features 66 n. In some embodiments, the transitionalepitaxial layer 64 n may be a semiconductor material with a latticestructure similar to the semiconductor material configured to functionas a source/drain feature for a n-type device. In some embodiments, thetransitional epitaxial layer 64 n may be a semiconductor materialincludes n-type dopants at a dopant concentration lower than a dopantconcentration used in a source/drain feature. The transitional epitaxiallayer 64 n may include one or more layers of Si, SiA, SiP, SiC and SiCP.The transitional epitaxial layer 64 n also include n-type dopants, suchas phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), etc. In some embodiments, thetransitional epitaxial layer 64 n may be a Si layer includes phosphorusdopants. In some embodiments, the transitional epitaxial layer 64 nincludes a dopant concentration of between about 5E17 atoms/cm³ andabout 1E21 atoms/cm³.

As shown in FIG. 15A, the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n is a thinlayer material formed over the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n. The profileof the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n is substantially similar to thefront surface 62 f of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n. In someembodiment, the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n has a concave profilein the x-z plane. In the embodiment of FIG. 15A, edge regions oftransitional epitaxial layer 64 n contact the inner spacers 58 n while acenter portion of the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n drops below thetop of the well portion 20 w. As discussed below, the concave profile ofthe transitional epitaxial layer 64 n allows a bottom surface 66 b ofthe source/drain feature 66 n to be convex, thus providing a widerlanding window for backside contact hole formation.

In some embodiments, the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n may have athickness in a range between about 2 nm and about 8 nm. If the thicknessof the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n is below 4 nm, the transitionalepitaxial layer 64 n may not be thick enough to function as latticetransitional layer between the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n and thesource/drain features 66 n. If the thickness of epitaxial buffer layer62 n is greater than 8 nm, the dimension of the device may be increasedwithout obvious additional advantages.

After formation of the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n, the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n for n-type devices are formed in thesource/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15C. Theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n are formed over the transitionalepitaxial layers 64 n within the source/drain recesses 56 s, 56 d. Theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n may include one or more layers ofSi, SiP, SiC and SiCP. The epitaxial source/drain features 66 n alsoinclude n-type dopants, such as phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), etc. Insome embodiments, the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n may be a Silayer includes phosphorus dopants. The dopant concentration in theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n is higher than that of thetransitional epitaxial layers 64 n. In some embodiments, the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n includes a dopant concentration of betweenabout 5E18 atoms/cm³ and about 3E21 atoms/cm³.

A bottom surface 66 b of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 nmatches the profile of the transitional epitaxial layers 64 n. In theembodiment shown in FIGS. 15A and 15C, the bottom surface 66 b of theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n has a convex profile. A top surface66 t of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n may be shaped accordingto the natural facets of the epitaxially formed semiconductor material.Sidewalls 66 sw of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n are incontact with the inner spacers 58 n and the second semiconductor layers16.

After formation of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n, thesacrificial liner 52 c may be removed so that p-type device region canbe processed.

In operation 124, source/drain recesses 68 d, 68 s (collectively 68) areformed over the n-well 11, on which p-type devices are to be formed, asshown in FIG. 16A-16D. A sacrificial liner 52 d and a photoresist layer54 d are formed and patterned to expose regions over the n-well 11 forprocessing. The photoresist layer 54 d may be similar to the photoresistlayer 54 a and the sacrificial liner 52 d may be similar to thesacrificial liner 52 a in operation 114. The semiconductor fin 19 onopposite sides of the sacrificial gate structure 48 and the claddinglayer 30 on the semiconductor fin 19 are etched forming source/drainrecesses 68 d, 68 s between the neighboring hybrid fins 36 on eitherside of the sacrificial gate structure 48 as shown in FIGS. 16B and 16D.In some embodiments, the source/drain recesses 68 d indicates the cavitywhere a drain feature is to be formed and the source/drain recesses 68 sindicates the cavity where a source feature is to be formed. It shouldbe noted that source feature and drain feature can be usedinterchangeably.

The cladding layer 30, the third semiconductor layers 13 and the fourthsemiconductor layers 15 in the semiconductor fin 19 are etched down onboth sides of the sacrificial gate structure 48 using etchingoperations. In some embodiments, suitable dry etching and/or wet etchingmay be used to remove the third semiconductor layers 13, the fourthsemiconductor layer 15, and the n-well 11, together or separately.

In some embodiments, all layers in the active portion 19 a of thesemiconductor fins 19 and part of the well portion 19 w of thesemiconductor fin 19 are removed to form the source/drain recesses 68 s,68 d. The well portion 19 w of the semiconductor fin 19 is partiallyetched so that the source/drain recesses 68 s, 68 d extend into theisolation layer 26, as shown in FIG. 16B. The source/drain recesses 68s, 68 d are formed on opposite ends of the remaining well portion 19 wand active portion 19 a of the semiconductor fin 19 as shown in FIG.16B. Source/drain features are to be formed in the source/drain recesses68 s, 68 d, forming a p-type device with the semiconductor material inthe remaining well portion 19 w and active portion 19 a of thesemiconductor fin 19 as channel regions.

In some embodiments, the source/drain recesses 68 s, 68 d extend intothe well portion 19 w of the semiconductor fin 19. In some embodiments,a bottom surface 68 b of the source/drain recess 68 s, 68 d has aconcave profile, as shown in FIG. 16B. The bottom surface 68 b of thesource/drain recesses 68 s, 68 d is at a depth H3 in the well portion 18w of the semiconductor fin 19. The depth H3 allows the buffer layer tobe formed in the source/drain recesses 68 s, 68 d and also allows abottom surface of the source/drain feature to be formed to have a convexprofile as discussed later. In some embodiments, the depth H3 is in arange between about 20 nm and about 30 nm. If the depth H3 is below 20nm, the buffer layer to be formed may not be thick enough to function asan etch stop layer. If the depth H3 is greater than 30 nm, the dimensionof the device may be increased without obvious additional advantages.

In operation 126, inner spacers 58 p are formed as shown in FIGS.17A-17D. Prior to forming the inner spacers 58 p, the photoresist layer54 d may be removed exposing the patterned sacrificial liner 52 d toprotect regions over the n-well 11.

Exposed ends of the third semiconductor layers 13 and the claddinglayers 30 are first etched to form spacer cavities for the inner spacers58 p. The third semiconductor layers 13 and cladding layer 30 exposed tothe source/drain recesses 68 s, 68 d are first etched horizontally alongthe X direction to form cavities. In some embodiments, the thirdsemiconductor layers 13 can be selectively etched by using a wet etchantsuch as, but not limited to, ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH),tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), ethylenediamine pyrocatechol(EDP), or potassium hydroxide (KOH) solutions. In some embodiments, anetching thickness of the third semiconductor layer 13 and the claddinglayer 30 is in a range between about 2 nm and about 10 nm along the Xdirection.

After forming the spacer cavities by etching the third semiconductorlayers 13 and the cladding layer 30, the inner spacers 58 p are formedin the spacer cavities by conformally deposit and then partially removean insulating layer. The insulating layer can be formed by ALD or anyother suitable method. The subsequent etch process removes most of theinsulating layer except inside the cavities, resulting in the innerspacers 58 p. In some embodiments, the fourth semiconductor layers 15may extend from the inner spacers 58 p. In some embodiments, the innerspacers 58 p may include one of silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon oxide(SiO₂), SiONC, or a combination thereof. The inner spacers 58 p have athickness along the X direction in a range from about 4 nm to about 7nm.

After the formation of the inner spacers 58 p, the patterned sacrificialliner 52 d is removed.

In operation 128, backside contact alignment feature 60 p is formed byremoving a portion of the well portion 19 w in the semiconductor fin 19and refilling the well portion 19 w with a semiconductor material, asshown in FIGS. 18A-18D and FIGS. 19A-19D. The backside contact alignmentfeature 60 p is selectively formed under the source/drain recess 68 swhere a source/drain feature formed therein is to be connected to abackside power rail.

Prior to forming the backside contact alignment feature 60 p, apatterned photoresist layer 54 e and patterned sacrificial liner 52 eare formed to expose the source/drain recess 68 s. The photoresist layer54 e may be similar to the photoresist layer 54 a and the sacrificialliner 52 e may be similar to the sacrificial liner 52 a.

After formation of the patterned photoresist layer 54 e and patternedsacrificial liner 52 e, suitable dry etching and/or wet etching isperformed to remove at least part of exposed well portion 19 w of thesemiconductor fin 19 to deepen the source/drain recess 68 s, as shown inFIGS. 18B and 18D. In some embodiments, a bottom surface 68 b′ of thesource/drain recess 68 s has a concave profile, as shown in FIG. 18D. Insome embodiments, the profile of the bottom surface 68 b′ of thesource/drain recess 68 s is substantially similar to that of the bottomsurface 68 b of the source/drain recess 58 d.

After recessing the well portion 19 w, the patterned photoresist layer54 e is removed to expose the patterned sacrificial liner 52 e. Thepatterned sacrificial liner 52 e functions as a hard mask duringformation of the backside contact alignment feature 60 p.

The backside contact alignment feature 60 p may be formed by anysuitable method, such as by CVD, CVD epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy(MBE), or any suitable deposition technique. In some embodiments, thebackside contact alignment feature 60 p is formed by a bottom updeposition process. As shown in FIG. 19B, the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 p grows in a bottom up fashion along semiconductor materialson sidewalls 19 sw of the well portion 19 w. A front surface 60 f′ ofthe backside contact alignment feature 60 p substantially maintains theprofile of the bottom surface 68 b′ of the source/drain recess 68 s. Insome embodiments, each backside contact alignment feature 60 p has thesame height H2 as the backside contact alignment feature 60 n.

During backside process, the material in the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 p allows portions of the semiconductor fin 19 to beselectively removed. Additionally, the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 p can be selectively removed without etching the dielectricmaterials in the isolation layer 26. Because the backside contactalignment feature 60 p will be removed to form backside contact holes inthe substrate 10 at a later stage, the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 p is formed from a material to have etch selectivity relativeto the material of the substrate 10, the material in the well portion 19w of the semiconductor fin 19 and the insulating material in theisolation layer 26. The backside contact alignment feature 60 p may bean undoped semiconductor material. In some embodiments, the backsidecontact alignment feature 60 p may include SiGe, such as a singlecrystal SiGe material. In some embodiments, the backside contactalignment feature 60 p and the backside contact alignment feature 60 nare formed from the same material. After the formation of the backsidecontact alignment feature 60 p, the patterned sacrificial liner 52 e isremoved.

In operation 130, an epitaxial buffer layer 62 p and epitaxialsource/drain features 66 p are formed in the source/drain recesses 68 s,68 d as shown in FIGS. 20A-20D. Prior to forming the backside contactalignment feature 60 p, a patterned sacrificial liner 52 f is formed toexpose the source/drain recesses 68 d, 68 s. The sacrificial liner 52 fmay be similar to the sacrificial liner 52 a.

The epitaxial buffer layer 62 p may be formed by any suitable method,such as by CVD, CVD epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), or anysuitable deposition technique. In some embodiments, the epitaxial bufferlayer 62 p is formed by a bottom up epitaxial deposition process. Forexample, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p grows in a bottom up fashionalong semiconductor materials on the sidewalls 19 sw of the well portion19 w until a front surface 62 f reaches the bottom most of the innerspacer 58 p, and the front surface 62 f has a profile substantiallysimilar to the front surface 60 f of the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n or the bottom surface 68 b′ of the source/drain recess 68s. When the front surface 62 f′ reaches the inner spacer 58 p, thebottom up epitaxial deposition process changes as the inner spacer 58 pis made of dielectric material. Further deposition mainly results fromepitaxial growth of the semiconductor material on the front surface 62f′ and the profile of the front surface 62 f′ may gradually change fromconcave to convex as deposition continues.

The thickness of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p and/or profile of thefront surface 62 f′ of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p can be controlledby controlling process time. In some embodiments, the front surface 62f′ of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p is a concave surface. As shown inFIG. 20B, the front surface 62 f′ has a concave profile in the x-zplane. In the embodiment of FIG. 20B, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p isformed in bottom up in the source/drain recess 68 s or 68 d between twogate stacks 48. Because the front surface 62 f′ is concave, edge regionsof the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p is at a level near the top of thewell portion 19 w along the z-direction while a center portion of theepitaxial buffer layer 62 p drops below the top of the well portion 19w.

In some embodiments, the shape and dimension of the epitaxial bufferlayer 62 p may be similar to the shape and dimension of the epitaxialbuffer layer 62 n. In some embodiments, the thickness of the epitaxialbuffer layer 62 p near the center portion is in a range between about 15nm and about 25 nm. If the thickness is below 15 nm, the epitaxialbuffer layer 62 p may not be thick enough to function as an etch stoplayer. If the thickness is greater than 25 nm, the dimension of thedevice may be increased without obvious additional advantages.

During removal of the material in the well portion 19 w of thesemiconductor fin 19 at backside processing, the material in theepitaxial buffer layer 62 p services as an etch stop to protect thesource/drain feature for p-type device to be formed on the butter layer62 n. The epitaxial buffer layer 62 p also serve to gradually change thelattice constant from that of the well portion 19 w or that of thebackside contact alignment feature 60 p to that of the source/drainfeatures 66 p. In some embodiments, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p maybe a semiconductor material with a lattice structure similar to thesemiconductor material configured to function as a source/drain featurefor a p-type device. In some embodiments, the transitional epitaxiallayer 64 p may be a semiconductor material includes p-type dopants at adopant concentration lower than a dopant concentration used in asource/drain feature. In some embodiments, the epitaxial buffer layer 62p may be a semiconductor material includes p-type dopants at a dopantconcentration lower than a dopant concentration in the source/drainfeature 66 p. The epitaxial buffer layer 62 p may include one or morelayers of Si, SiGe, Ge with p-type dopants, such as boron (B), for ap-type device, such as pFET. In some embodiments, the epitaxial bufferlayer 62 p may be SiGeB material, wherein boron is a dopant. In someembodiments, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p is a SiGeB layer with aboron concentration of between about 5E17 atoms/cm³ and about 1E18atoms/cm³.

After formation of the epitaxial buffer layer 62 p, the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 p for p-type devices are formed in thesource/drain recesses 68 s, 58 d, as shown in FIGS. 20B and 20D. Theepitaxial source/drain features 66 p are formed over the epitaxialbuffer layer 62 p within the source/drain recesses 68 s, 68 d. Theepitaxial source/drain features 66 p may include one or more layers ofSi, SiGe, Ge with p-type dopants, such as boron (B), for a p-typedevice, such as pFET. In some embodiments, the epitaxial source/drainfeatures 66 p may be SiGeB material, wherein boron is a dopant. In someembodiments, the epitaxial source/drain features 66 p is a SiGeB layerwith a boron concentration of between about 5E18 atoms/cm³ and about1E21 atoms/cm³.

A bottom surface 66 b′ of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 pmatches the profile of the front surface 62 f′ of the epitaxial bufferlayer 62 p. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 20B and 20D, the bottomsurface 66 b′ of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 p has a convexprofile. A top surface 66 t′ of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 pmay be shaped according to the natural facets of the epitaxially formedsemiconductor material.

After formation of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 p, thesacrificial liner 52 f may be removed for subsequent processing. Itshould be noted that the processing sequence of the n-type epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n and p-type epitaxial source/drain features 66p can be switched.

In operation 132, a contact etch stop layer (CESL) 70 and an interlayerdielectric (ILD) layer 72 are formed over the exposed surfaces as shownin FIGS. 21A-21D and 22A-22D. The CESL 70 is formed on the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n, 66 p, the sidewall spacers 50, and thehigh-k dielectric features 38. In some embodiments, the CESL 70 has athickness in a range between about 4 nm and about 7 nm. The CESL 70 mayinclude Si₃N₄, SiON, SiCN or any other suitable material, and may beformed by CVD, PVD, or ALD.

The interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer 72 is formed over the contractetch stop layer (CESL) 70. The materials for the ILD layer 72 includecompounds comprising Si, O, C, and/or H, such as silicon oxide, SiCOHand SiOC. Organic materials, such as polymers, may be used for the ILDlayer 72. The ILD layer 72 protects the epitaxial source/drain features66 n, 66 p during the removal of the sacrificial gate structures 48.

A planarization operation, such as CMP, is performed to expose thesacrificial gate electrode layer 42 for subsequent removal of thesacrificial gate structures 48 as shown in FIG. 22A-22D. Theplanarization process removes portions of the ILD layer 72 and the CESL70, the hard mask layer 46 and the pad layer 44 to expose to thesacrificial gate electrode layer 42. In some embodiments, the ILD layer72 is recessed to a level below the top of the sacrificial gateelectrode layer 42, and a cap layer 74 is formed on the recessed ILDlayer 72. The cap layer 74 may be a nitrogen-containing layer, such as aSiCN layer. The cap layer 74 is used to protect the ILD layer 72 duringreplacement gate processes.

In operation 134, the sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40 and thesacrificial gate electrode layer 42 are removed as shown in FIGS.23A-23D. The sacrificial gate electrode layer 42 can be removed usingplasma dry etching and/or wet etching. When the sacrificial gateelectrode layer 42 is polysilicon, a wet etchant such as aTetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution can be used to selectivelyremove the sacrificial gate electrode layer 42 without removing thedielectric materials of the cap layer 74 and the CESL 70.

After removal of the sacrificial gate electrode layer 42, thesacrificial gate dielectric layer 40 is exposed. An etch process may beperformed to selectively remove the sacrificial gate dielectric layer 40exposing the high-k dielectric features 38, and the top layer of thesecond semiconductor layers 16 and the fourth semiconductor layers 15. Asuitable etch process is then performed to selective remove the claddinglayers 30. The cladding layer 30 can be removed using plasma dry etchingand/or wet etching.

After removal of the cladding layers 30, the first semiconductor layers14 and the third semiconductor layers 13 are exposed and subsequentlyremoved resulting in gate cavities 73 having nanosheets of the secondsemiconductor layers 16 and the fourth semiconductor layers 15.Replacement gate structures are to be formed in the gate cavities 73. Insome embodiments, the first semiconductor layers 14 and the thirdsemiconductor layers 13 can be removed during the same etch process forremoval of the cladding layers 30. In other embodiments, the firstsemiconductor layers 14 and the third semiconductor layers 13 can beselectively removed using a wet etchant such as, but not limited to,ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH), tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH),ethylenediamine pyrocatechol (EDP), or potassium hydroxide (KOH)solution.

In operation 136, gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p, and gate electrodelayer 78 are formed in the gate cavities 73 as shown in FIGS. 24A-24D.The gate dielectric layer 76 (76 n, 76 p) and the gate electrode layer78 may be referred to as a replacement gate structure. The gatedielectric layers 76 n, 76 p are formed on exposed surfaces in the gatecavities 73. The gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p may have differentcomposition and dimensions. In some embodiments, the gate dielectriclayers 76 n and 76 p include different materials and are formedseparately using patterned mask layers and different deposition recipes.

The gate dielectric layer 76 p is formed on exposed surfaces of eachnanosheet of the fourth semiconductor layer 15, exposed surfaces of theinner spacer 58 p, exposed surfaces of the sidewall spacer 50, andexposed surfaces of the epitaxial source/drain feature 66 p. The gatedielectric layer 76 p may include one or more layers of a dielectricmaterial, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or high-k dielectricmaterial, other suitable dielectric material, and/or combinationsthereof. Examples of high-k dielectric material include HfO₂, HfSiO,HfSiON, HfTaO, HfTiO, HfZrO, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, titaniumoxide, hafnium dioxide-alumina (HfO₂—Al₂O₃) alloy, other suitable high-kdielectric materials, and/or combinations thereof.

The gate dielectric layer 76 n is formed on exposed surfaces of eachnanosheet of the second semiconductor layer 16, exposed surfaces of theinner spacer 58 n, exposed surfaces of the sidewall spacer 50, andexposed surfaces of the epitaxial feature 66 n. The gate dielectriclayer 76 n may include one or more layers of a dielectric material, suchas silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or high-k dielectric material, othersuitable dielectric material, and/or combinations thereof. Examples ofhigh-k dielectric material include HfO₂, HfSiO, HfSiON, HfTaO, HfTiO,HfZrO, zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, hafniumdioxide-alumina (HfO₂—Al₂O₃) alloy, other suitable high-k dielectricmaterials, and/or combinations thereof.

The gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p may be formed by CVD, ALD or anysuitable method. In one embodiment, the gate layers 76 n, 76 p areformed using a highly conformal deposition process such as ALD in orderto ensure the formation of the gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p havinga uniform thickness around each of the semiconductor layers 15, 16. Insome embodiments, the thickness of the gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 pis in a range between about 1 nm and about 6 nm. In some embodiments, aninterfacial layer (not shown) is formed between the semiconductor layers15, 16 and the gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p, respectively.

The gate electrode layer 78 is formed on the gate dielectric layers 76n, 76 p to fill the gate cavities 73. The gate electrode layer 78includes one or more layers of conductive material, such as polysilicon,aluminum, copper, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, cobalt, molybdenum,tantalum nitride, nickel silicide, cobalt silicide, TiN, WN, TiAl,TiAIN, TaCN, TaC, TaSiN, metal alloys, other suitable materials, and/orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, the gate electrode layer 78may be formed by CVD, ALD, electro-plating, or other suitable method.After the formation of the gate electrode layer 78, a planarizationprocess, such as a CMP process, is performed to remove excess depositionof the gate electrode material and expose the top surface of the ILDlayer 72.

In operation 138, gate contacts 84 and front side source/drain contacts86 are formed as shown in FIGS. 25A-25D and 26A-26D. In FIGS. 25A-25D, aself-aligned contact layer 80 and a hard mask layer 82 are formed overthe gate electrode layer 78. After the CMP process in operation 136, thegate electrode layer 78 are recessed. In some embodiments, the gateelectrode layer 78 is recessed to a level below a top surface the high-kdielectric features 38 as shown in FIG. 25D. The high-k dielectricfeatures 38 divide the gate electrode layer 78 into segments connectedto different transistors. The gate electrode layer 78 may be recessedusing any suitable process, such as a dry etch, a wet etch, or acombination thereof. In some embodiments, the recess process may be aselective dry etch process that does not substantially affect the caplayer 74, the sidewall spacer 50, and the gate dielectric layers 76 n,76 p.

After recess of the gate electrode layer 78, the self-aligned contactlayer 80 is formed over the gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p, and thegate electrode layer 78 between the sidewall spacers 50. Theself-aligned contact layer 80 may be formed by a blanket depositionprocess, followed by a CMP process to the level of the sidewall spacers50 to remove excessive materials over the sidewall spacers 50, thenselectively recessed to form trenches between the sidewall spacers 50and above the self-aligned contact layer 80. The self-aligned contactlayer 80 may be a dielectric material having an etch selectivelyrelative to the sidewall spacers 50. In some embodiments, theself-aligned contact layer 80 includes silicon nitride. The self-alignedcontact layer 80 can be used to define self-aligned contact region andthus referred to as SAC structures or a SAC layer.

The hard mask layer 82 is then formed over the self-aligned contactlayer 80. The hard mask layer 82 includes dielectric material such as,Si, SiO, SiN, AlO, or combinations thereof. The hard mask layer 82 mayinclude a material which is different from the sidewall spacers 50, theCESL 70, the ILD layer 72, and/or the cap layer 74 to achieve etchingselectivity during etching processes performed later. As shown in FIGS.25A and 25B, the self-aligned contact layer 80 is in contact with thegate electrode layer 78, the gate dielectric layer 76 n, 76 p, and thehard mask layer 82 and between the sidewall spacers 50.

After formation of the hard mark layer 80, a planarization process isperformed to polish back the hard mask layer 82 until the sidewallspacers 50, the CESL 70, and the ILD layer 72 are exposed. Contact holemay be formed by any suitable process in the hard mask layer 82 and theself-aligned contact layer 80. Subsequently, a conductive material layerfills in the contact holes to form the gate contacts 84 as shown inFIGS. 26A-26D.

Similarly, contact holes may be formed through the ILD layer 72 and theCESL 70 and subsequently filled with a conductive material to form thefront side source/drain contacts 86. Suitable photolithographic andetching techniques are used to form the contact holes through variouslayers. After the formation of the contact holes, a silicide layer 88 isselectively formed over an exposed top surface of the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n, 66 p exposed by the contact holes. Thesilicide layer 88 conductively couples the epitaxial source/drainfeatures 66 n, 66 p to the subsequently formed interconnect structures.The silicide layer 88 may be formed by depositing a metal source layerto cover exposed surfaces including the exposed surfaces of theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p and performing a rapidthermal annealing process. In some embodiments, the metal source layerincludes a metal layer selected from W, Co, Ni, Ti, Mo, and Ta, or ametal nitride layer selected from tungsten nitride, cobalt nitride,nickel nitride, titanium nitride, molybdenum nitride, and tantalumnitride. After the formation of the metal source layer, a rapid thermalanneal process is performed, for example, a rapid anneal a rapid annealat a temperature between about 700° C. and about 900° C. During therapid anneal process, the portion of the metal source layer over theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p reacts with silicon in theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p to form the silicide layer88. Unreacted portion of the metal source layer is then removed. In someembodiments, the silicide layer 88 includes one or more of WSi, CoSi,NiSi, TiSi, MoSi, and TaSi. In some embodiments, the silicide layer 88has a thickness in a range between about 3 nm and 10 nm.

After formation of the silicide layer 88, a conductive material isdeposited to fill contact holes and form the gate contacts 84 and thefront side source/drain contacts 86. In some embodiments, the conductivematerial layer for the gate contact may be formed by CVD, PVD, plating,ALD, or other suitable technique. In some embodiments, the conductivematerial for the gate contacts 84 and front side source/drain contacts86 includes TiN, TaN, Ta, Ti, Hf, Zr, Ni, W, Co, Cu, Ag, Al, Zn, Ca, Au,Mg, Mo, Cr, or the like. Subsequently, a CMP process is performed toremove a portion of the conductive material layer above a top surface ofthe hard mask layer 82.

In operation 138, a front side interconnect structure 90 is formed overon the second ILD layer 72 and the hard mask layer 82 as shown in FIGS.27A-27D. The front side interconnect structure 90 includes multipledielectric layers having metal lines and vias (not shown) formedtherein. The metal lines and vias in the front side interconnectstructure 90 may be formed of copper or copper alloys, and may be formedusing one or more damascene processes. The front side interconnectstructure 90 may include multiple sets of inter-layer dielectric (ILD)layers and inter-metal dielectrics (IMDs) layers.

In some embodiments, the front side interconnect structure 90 includesmetal lines and vias for connecting signal lines only, but notconnecting to power rails or connections to power rails. In otherembodiments, the front side interconnect structure 90 includes a portionof power rails. Power rails indicate conductive lines connecting betweenthe epitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p and a power source, suchas VDD, and VSS (GND).

After the formation of the front side interconnect structure 90, acarrier wafer 92 is temporarily bonded to a top side of the front sideinterconnect structure 90. The carrier wafer 92 serves to providemechanical support for the front side interconnect structure 90 anddevices formed on the substrate 10.

In operation 142, after the carrier wafer 92 is bond to the substrate10, the carrier wafer 92 along with the substrate 10 is flipped over sothat the backside of the substrate 10 (i.e., a back surface 10 b) isfacing up for backside processing.

In operation 144, after flipping over, a backside grinding is performedto expose the isolation layer 26, the well portions 19 w, 20 w of thesemiconductor fins 19, 20, and the backside contact alignment features60 n, 60 p, as shown in FIGS. 28A-28E.

In operation 146, a relatively fast etching process is performed topartially remove materials of the n-well 11 and p-well 12 exposed aftergrinding, as shown in FIGS. 29A-29E. In some embodiments, the exposedn-well 11 and p-well 12 is partially removed using an etch processhaving an etch selectivity for the material of n-well 11 and p-well 12over the materials of the backside contact alignment features 60 n, 60p, and the isolation layer 26. In some embodiments, the exposed n-well11 and p-well 12 be partially selectively etched using a dry etchingmethod or a wet etching using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH).

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, the exposed n-well11 and p-well 12 are partially removed such that the backside contactalignment features 60 n, 60 p protrude over the n-well 11 and p-well 12while the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n, 62 p remain embedded in then-well 11 and p-well 12. In some embodiments, a thickness T2 of then-well 11 and p-well 12 remain when operation 146 is completed. Thethickness T2 is a value large enough to generate a corner protector inthe subsequent slow etching process. In some embodiments, the thicknessT2 is in a range between about 10 nm and 20 nm. The end point of etchingprocess in operation 146 may be controlled by controlling duration ofthe etching process.

In operation 148, a relatively slow etching process is performed topartially remove materials of the n-well 11 and p-well 12 exposed afterthe relatively fast etching, as shown in FIGS. 30A-30F. In someembodiments, the exposed n-well 11 and p-well 12 is partially removedusing an etch process having an etch selectivity for the material ofn-well 11 and p-well 12 over the materials of the backside contactalignment features 60 n, 60 p, the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n, 62 p,and the isolation layer 26. In some embodiments, the exposed n-well 11and p-well 12 be partially selectively etched using a wet etching usingan etchant including ammonium hydroxide (NI-140H).

When the etching process in operation 148 is completed, the n-well 11and p-well 12 are mostly removed except for corners 11 r, 12 r as shownin FIGS. 30A, 30B, and 30E. The corners 11 r, 12 r are semiconductorfeatures from the materials of the n-well 11 and p-well 12. Duringoperation 148, the corners 11 r, 12 r prevent etchant from reaching theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p and/or the transitionalepitaxial layers 64 n. The protective function of the corners 12 r isparticularly significant to the epitaxial source/drain features 66 nbecause the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n, which is dopedsilicone, has a low etch selectivity relative to the p-well 12 andn-well 11 materials.

FIG. 30F, a schematic partial enlarged view of FIG. 30A, illustrates thecorners 12 r according to one embodiments of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 30F, the corners 12 r has a substantially triangular crosssection in the y-z plane. Each corner 12 r may include a first surface12 z in contact with the epitaxial buffer layer 62 n, a second surface12 y in contact with the inner spacer 58 n and the gate dielectric layer76 n, and a third surface 12 f connecting the first surface 12 z and thesecond surface 12 y. In some embodiments, the third surface 12 f is anatural facet of the crystalline silicon of the p-well 12. In someembodiments, the first surface 12 z or the second surface 12 y may be incontact with the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n depending thelocation of the transitional epitaxial layer. In some embodiment, thethird surface 12 f is the [111] facet of the crystalline. The thirdsurface 12 f is a generated as a result of the etching process of thecrystalline material of the p-well 12. The first surface 12 z of eachcorner 12 r has a length 12 h, the second surface 12 y of each corner 12r has a length 12 w. In some embodiments, the length 12 h is in a rangebetween 5 nm and 10 nm, and the length 12 w is in a range between 5 nmand 10 nm. If the length 12 h or 12 w is less than 5 nm, the corner 12 rmay not provide enough protection to the epitaxial source/drain feature66 n. If the length 12 h or 12 w is more than 10 nm, the corners 12 rmay scarify performance of the device without additional improvement ofetch protection. The end point of etching process in operation 148 maybe controlled by controlling duration of the etching process to obtaindesired dimension of the corners 12 r.

The corners 11 r, 12 r ensure that the epitaxial source/drain features66 n, 66 p is isolated from the etching solution, thus remaining intactin operation 148 even if the back surface 66 b, 66 b′ of the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 n, 66 p are convex in shape.

The location and dimension of the corners 11 r are similar to those ofthe corners 12 r. Typically the epitaxial source/drain features 66 p andthe transitional epitaxial layer 64 p have etch selectivity over then-well 11 and p-well 12, the corners 11 r nevertheless can provide someprotections to the epitaxial source/drain features 66 p and thetransitional epitaxial layer 64 p during backside processing.

In some embodiments, the operation 146 may be optional, and the p-well12 and n-well 11 may be etched using the relative slow etching method ofoperation 148 to obtain the corners 11 r, 12 r.

In operation 150, In operation 154, a refill dielectric layer 94 isformed in cavities vacated by the p-well 12 and n-well 11, as shown inFIGS. 31A-31F. The refill dielectric layer 94 is deposited over thecorners 11 r, 12 r, the exposed gate dielectric layers 76 n, 76 p, theepitaxial buffer layers 62 n, 62 p, and the backside contact alignmentfeature 60 n, 60 p. After the formation of the refill dielectric layer94, a planarization process, such as CMP, is performed to expose thebackside contact alignment feature 60 n, 60 p.

In some embodiments, the refill dielectric layer 94 includes a siliconoxide, a material convertible to a silicon oxide, a silicate glass(USG), an alkoxysilane compound (e.g., tetraethoxysilane (TEOS),tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), thermal oxide, or any suitable dielectricmaterial, or any combination thereof, and can be formed by FCVD, aspin-on coating process, or any suitable deposition technique.

In operation 152, one or more etch process is performed to remove thebackside contact alignment features 60 n, 60 p and the epitaxial bufferlayers 62 n, 62 p as shown in FIG. 32A-32D. The backside contactalignment features 60 n, 60 p and the epitaxial buffer layers 62 n, 62 pmay be removed by any suitable etch process to expose the epitaxialsource/drain features 66 p and the transitional epitaxial layer 64 n. Insome embodiments, the backside contact alignment features 60 n, 60 p andthe epitaxial buffer layers 62 n, 62 p are removed by a dry etch method,for example, by an isotropic etch methods. In some embodiments, thetransitional epitaxial layer 48 is removed by a dry etching processusing fluorine-based etchant, such as CF₄, NF₃, SF₆.

In operation 154, the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p arerecessed to form contact hole 93 for forming backside contacts, as shownin FIGS. 33A-33D. In some embodiments, the epitaxial source/drainfeature 66 n, 66 p may be recessed by the same etch process used toremove backside contact alignment features 60 n, 60 p and the epitaxialbuffer layers 62 n, 62 p in operation 152. In other embodiments, theepitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p may be recessed by a suitableand different etch process.

The objection of the recess process is to form a contact surface 66 c isformed in the epitaxial source/drain feature 66 n, 66 p to establishelectrical connection with a conductive feature to be formed. Toestablish a quality contact, it is desirable to have the contact surface66 c ends above a bottom nanosheet 16 a, or in contact with a firstinner spacer segment 58 n 1, 58 p 1 from the backside. Referring back toFIGS. 32A, 32B, in order to form the contact surface 66 c in the desiredlocations, the recess process needs to end within a process window W1along the z direction. In embodiments of the present disclosure, theback surface 66 b, 66 b′ of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66are convex in shape, thus, resulting in increased the process window W1.The contact surface 66 c may have various shapes, such as a planarprofile, a concave profile, or a convex profile. In the embodiments ofFIGS. 33A, 33B, the contact surface 66 c is a concave in shape.

As shown in FIGS. 33A, 33B, after operation 154, the corners 12 r, 11 rare exposed to the contact holes 93. Particularly, the first surfaces 12z of the corner 12 r is exposed to the contact hole 93. In someembodiments, the corners 12 r, 11 r may be partially or completelyremoved during operation 154.

In operation 156, backside source/drain contacts 97 are formed in thecontact holes 93, as shown in FIGS. 34A-34F. In some embodiments, aninsolation liner 96 may be first formed on sidewalls of the contactholes 93. The insolation liner 96 may be formed by a conformationdeposition followed by an anisotropic etch to remove the insolationliner from horizontal surfaces. As shown in FIG. 34F, the first surface12 z of the corner 12 r is in contact with the insolation liner 96. Theinsolation liner 96 may include a dielectric material, such as siliconoxide or silicon nitride. The insolation liner 96 reduces source/drainleakage and A/C penalty in the device.

In some embodiments, a silicide layer 95 is formed on the contactsurface 66 c of the epitaxial source/drain features 66 n, 66 p. Thesilicide layer 95 may include one or more of WSi, CoSi, NiSi, TiSi,MoSi, and TaSi. In some embodiments, the silicide layer 95 has athickness in a range between about 4 nm and 10 nm, for example between 5nm and 6 nm.

After formation of the silicide layer 95, the backside source/draincontact 97 is formed by filling a conductive material over the silicidelayer 95 in the contact hole 93. The conductive material may be one ormore of Co, W, Mo, Ru, Al, or compounds thereof. In some embodiments,the conductive material is filled in the contact holes by CVD, ALD,electro-plating, or other suitable method. In some embodiments, aplanarization process, such as CMP, may be performed after filling thecontact holes to form the backside source/drain contacts 97.

In operation 158, a backside interconnect structure 98 is formed toprovide connection to the backside source/drain contacts 97, as shown inFIGS. 34A-34F. In some embodiments, the backside source/drain contacts96 are configured to connect the epitaxial source/drain feature 66 n, 66p to power rails, such as a positive voltage rail (VDD) and a groundrail (GND) through the backside interconnect structure 98. In someembodiments, the backside interconnect structure 98 may include powerrails or be part of a power rail.

Various embodiments or examples described herein offer multipleadvantages over the state-of-art technology. According to embodiments ofthe present disclosure, during semiconductor material removal in abackside contact formation, corner portions of a semiconductor fin arekept on the device. The corner portions of the semiconductor fin protectsource/drain regions from etchant. The corner portions allow thesource/drain features to be formed with a convex profile on thebackside. The convex profile increases volume of the source/drainfeatures, thus, improving device performance. The convex profile alsoincreases processing window of backside contact recess formation.

It will be understood that not all advantages have been necessarilydiscussed herein, no particular advantage is required for allembodiments or examples, and other embodiments or examples may offerdifferent advantages.

Some embodiments of the present provide a semiconductor device. Thesemiconductor device includes a gate dielectric layer, a firstsource/drain feature, a first inner spacer formed between the gatedielectric layer and the first source/drain feature, a conductivefeature in connection with the first source/drain feature, and asemiconductor feature, wherein the semiconductor feature has asubstantially triangular cross section with a first surface along theconductive feature, a second surface connected to the first surface andin contact with the first inner spacer, and a third surface connectingthe first surface and the second surface.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a semiconductordevice. The semiconductor device includes a first source/drain feature,wherein the first source/drain feature has a first surface, a secondsurface, and a sidewall connecting the first surface and second surface,and the second surface is a concave surface, a second source/drainfeature, wherein the second source/drain feature has a first surface, asecond surface, and a sidewall connecting the first surface and secondsurface, the second surface is a convex surface, and the first andsecond source/drain features comprise a n-type dopant at a firstconcentration, one or more semiconductor channels connecting to thesidewalls of the first and second source/drain features, a gatedielectric layer formed around each of the one or more semiconductorchannels, a gate electrode layer formed over the gate dielectric layer,and a source/drain contact formed on the second surface of the firstsource/drain feature.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for forminga semiconductor device. The method includes forming a semiconductor finon a first side of a substrate, forming a sacrificial gate structureover the semiconductor fin, etching the semiconductor fin to form afirst source/drain recess and a second source/drain recess, wherein thefirst and second source/drain recesses are on opposite sides of thesacrificial gate structure, further etching the semiconductor finexposed in the first source/drain recess to form an alignment recess,forming a backside contact alignment feature in the alignment recess,forming first and second epitaxial features in the first and secondsource/drain recesses respectively, etching the semiconductor fin from asecond side of the substrate, wherein the second side is opposite to thefirst side of the substrate, corner portions of the semiconductor finremain after etching, and the corner portions of the semiconductor finis in contact with the first and second epitaxial features, anddepositing a dielectric material over the corner portions of thesemiconductor fin.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a gate dielectric layer; a firstsource/drain feature; a first inner spacer formed between the gatedielectric layer and the first source/drain feature; a conductivefeature in connection with the first source/drain feature; and asemiconductor feature, wherein the semiconductor feature has asubstantially triangular cross section with a first surface along theconductive feature, a second surface connected to the first surface andin contact with the first inner spacer, and a third surface connectingthe first surface and the second surface.
 2. The semiconductor device ofclaim 1, wherein the second surface of the semiconductor featurecontacts the gate dielectric layer.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim1, further comprising an insolation liner formed between thesemiconductor feature and the conductive feature.
 4. The semiconductordevice of claim 3, further comprising a silicide layer formed betweenthe conductive feature and the first source/drain feature.
 5. Thesemiconductor device of claim 4, wherein the silicide layer is formed ona first surface of the first source/drain feature, and the first surfaceis a concave surface.
 6. The semiconductor device of claim 5, furthercomprising: a second source/drain feature; and a second inner spacerformed between the gate dielectric layer and the second source/drainfeature, wherein a first surface of the second source/drain feature is aconvex surface.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 6, furthercomprising two or more semiconductor channels connecting the first andsecond source/drain features, and the gate dielectric layer surroundsthe two or more semiconductor channels.
 8. A semiconductor device,comprising: a first source/drain feature, wherein the first source/drainfeature has a first surface, a second surface, and a sidewall connectingthe first surface and second surface, and the second surface is aconcave surface; a second source/drain feature, wherein the secondsource/drain feature has a first surface, a second surface, and asidewall connecting the first surface and second surface, the secondsurface is a convex surface, and the first and second source/drainfeatures comprise a n-type dopant at a first concentration; one or moresemiconductor channels connecting to the sidewalls of the first andsecond source/drain features; a gate dielectric layer formed around eachof the one or more semiconductor channels; a gate electrode layer formedover the gate dielectric layer; and a source/drain contact formed on thesecond surface of the first source/drain feature.
 9. The semiconductordevice of claim 8, further comprising: a transitional epitaxial layerformed on the second surface of the second source/drain feature, whereinthe transitional epitaxial layer includes a n-type dopant at a secondconcentration, and the second concentration is lower than the firstconcentration; and a buffer epitaxial layer formed on the transitionalepitaxial layer.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim 9, furthercomprising: a first semiconductor corner adjacent the second surface ofthe first source/drain feature; a second semiconductor corner adjacentthe second surface of the second source/drain feature; and a dielectricfill material formed over the first and second semiconductor features,the gate dielectric layer, and the buffer epitaxial layer.
 11. Thesemiconductor device of claim 10, wherein the first semiconductor cornerhas a triangular cross section having a first surface along a side wallthe source/drain contact, a second surface in contact with the gatedielectric material, and a third surface connecting the first and secondsurfaces, wherein the second semiconductor corner has a triangular crosssection having a first surface in contact with the buffer epitaxiallayer, a second surface in contact with the gate dielectric material,and a third surface connecting the first and second surfaces.
 12. Thesemiconductor device of claim 11, further comprising an isolation linerformed between the first semiconductor corner and the source/draincontact.
 13. The semiconductor device of claim 10, further comprising: afirst inner spacer formed between the first source/drain feature and thegate dielectric layer, wherein the first semiconductor corner is incontact with the first inner spacer; and a second inner spacer formedbetween the second source/drain feature and the gate dielectric layer,wherein the second semiconductor corner is in contract with the secondinner spacer.
 14. The semiconductor device of claim 10, wherein thethird surface of the first semiconductor corner is a [111] facet of acrystalline.
 15. A method for forming a semiconductor device,comprising: forming a semiconductor fin on a first side of a substrate;forming a sacrificial gate structure over the semiconductor fin; etchingthe semiconductor fin to form a first source/drain recess and a secondsource/drain recess, wherein the first and second source/drain recessesare on opposite sides of the sacrificial gate structure; further etchingthe semiconductor fin exposed in the first source/drain recess to forman alignment recess; forming a backside contact alignment feature in thealignment recess; forming first and second epitaxial features in thefirst and second source/drain recesses respectively; etching thesemiconductor fin from a second side of the substrate, wherein thesecond side is opposite to the first side of the substrate, cornerportions of the semiconductor fin remain after etching, and the cornerportions of the semiconductor fin is in contact with the first andsecond epitaxial features; and depositing a dielectric material over thecorner portions of the semiconductor fin.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the first and second epitaxial feature comprises SiGe.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising forming first and secondsource/drain features over the first and second epitaxial features inthe first and second source/drain recess respectively.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising: removing the backside contact alignmentfeature to expose the first epitaxial feature; removing the firstepitaxial feature to expose the first source/drain feature; and removinga portion of the first source/drain feature to form a concave surface onthe first source/drain feature.
 19. The method of claim 15, whereinetching the semiconductor fin from the second side includes: etching thesemiconductor fin with a first etchant without exposing the first andsecond epitaxial features; and etching the semiconductor fin with asecond etchant to expose the first and second epitaxial features. 20.The method of claim 17, wherein forming the first and second epitaxialfeatures comprises forming the first and second epitaxial features witha convex top surface.